Postecoglou sack: Henry Winter moots Tottenham ‘deeper issues’ in Conte verdict
Henry Winter believes Antonio Conte’s criticism of Daniel Levy and Tottenham was correct as Ange Postecoglou comes under severe pressure.
Spurs supporters are calling for the manager to be sacked after a shock 2-1 home defeat against Leicester City on 26 January, leaving the team sitting 15th in the Premier League table.
Postecoglou was appointed as Conte’s successor in June 2023 following the Italian’s outburst at the current ownership and leadership at Hotspur Way, but he might have been right to do so, in hindsight.
Writing via his Goal Posts blog [27 January], Winter said: “A better manager than Conte’s successor, Ange Postecoglou, could organise the current side better, even with their injury issues. But there are deeper issues at Spurs than Postecoglou’s limitations.
“The culture’s wrong. The club lacks a winning mentality. They’ve not won a trophy since 2008 or a league title, that nine-month test of mental and physical resilience, since 1961.
“Conte’s point was about the ownership, about recruitment, but ultimately he called out the players (and maybe that’s all tied in together if the board doesn’t recruit players with the right mentality). Most damningly, Conte felt it was an institutional failing.
“Spurs are “used to it…they don’t want to play under pressure. I want to see the fire in their eyes, fire in their heart. Not only in the training session but on the pitch. I’m not seeing this.”
“Some of the current players have that fire. Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray obviously care. Some play through pain. But not enough. Conte was right. The culture needs to change more than the manager.”
Should Tottenham have kept Antonio Conte instead of Ange Postecoglou?
By no means is Conte the one who got away, having slated Levy openly to the public. Those words should have been said behind the scenes.
Postecoglou’s appointment was greeted with major excitement and the start of his tenure was incredible, looking as though Spurs were readying a title charge at the top of the Premier League.
However, results have been absolutely dire over the past 12 months, which has not been helped at all by the plethora of injuries emerging at Hotspur Way.
Postecoglou is without Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson.
It is really no wonder why Spurs are struggling this season but the poor results run much deeper than the 2024/25 campaign, and even so, the team are still competing in the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Investment is vital if Postecoglou is the manager to turn things around in North London, but unless Levy is willing to open his pockets, a change in leadership seems likely soon.
In other Tottenham news, Mauricio Pochettino’s odds have been slashed as an Ange Postecoglou sack decision is made.
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